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4 B1G players appear on SI 2014 Big Board

By Sean Merriman, BTN.com web editor -
2 years ago

A total of four Big Ten players were selected in the first round of this past June’s 2013 NBA Draft, and it looks like that number could go up the following year. SI.com recently released a list of the top 20 prospects for the 2014 NBA Draft and four Big Ten products appeared on the big board.

Michigan sophomore forward Mitch McGary is the first Big Ten player to make the list, coming in at No. 11.

“McGary hustles and plays with relentless energy on every possession,” said SI writer Chris Mannix. “He’s an avid offensive rebounder with a Tyson Chandler-like knack for back-tapping balls to the perimeter.”

My take: What happened to rewarding seniors for four-year productive college careers? There isn’t a single college senior on this list. In fact, North Carolina junior forward James Michael-McAdoo is the only upperclassman on this entire big board. Six of the top-10 players on this list have yet to play a single minute of college basketball, but I guess that’s what you get with these type of projections, right?

It makes sense to see McGary, Harris and Robinson on this list. Dekker was a bit of a surprise, but that’s not to say he isn’t deserving of being there. I’m a little surprised a guy like Adreian Payne didn’t make this list over the likes of Willie Cauley-Stein and Alex Poythress. Payne’s intangibles are off-the-chart and he was much more productive then both Cauley-Stein and Poythress last season.

Overall, this is a solid list, but one that will certainly be altered by the time June’s 2014 NBA Draft comes around. Either way, this should get basketball fans excited for another thrilling Big Ten season ahead.

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Originally from Farmington Hills, MI, I have worked at the Big Ten Network since 2012 and took over my role as web editor and blogger in August, 2013. Follow me on twitter for constant Big Ten updates @srmerriman. Thanks and enjoy!!